That face! Lexus may be looking to get a leg up on the
competition -- especially with Infiniti firing on all cylinders
with its new M-Hybrid
-- but the new LF-Gh may just scare all of the other luxury hybrids into
submission upon first glance.

The
new LF-Gh concept is a thinly disguised preview of what the next generation
Lexus GS will look like. Although this concept is of the hybrid version of the
next generation GS, the conventional GS won't stray too far from this design.

The menacing front grille is no doubt what will draw the
most stares from people, however. It seems as though luxury makers are going
for bigger is better when it comes to grilles (we're looking at you, Audi),
but Lexus takes the cake here. Looking like the Predator's gaping maw, this
will probably be one of the most divisive grille treatments in recent memory,
save for the 2009
Acura TL.

Moving around to the side, the LF-Gh looks to be strongly
channeling E60
BMW 5-Series, although some of Lexus' "L-Finesse" design language
also tries to peek through.

"For this concept, Lexus designers studied
characteristics that are often considered contradictory and difficult to
execute together," said Kengo Matsumoto, general manager, Lexus Design
Division, Toyota Motor Corporation. "The captivating design of the LF-Gh
concept examines the possibility of balancing what are normally opposing
qualities, such as style and functionality."

"Customers have been waiting for a bold concept like
this from Lexus," said Mark Templin, Lexus Division group vice president
and general manager. "We look forward to their feedback and integrating
some of these exciting design features into future Lexus vehicles."

Lexus is being awfully quiet about the LF-Gh's powertrain
specifications, but the company will no doubt spill the beans at the concept's
official reveal on May 1.

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